Toy cannon



June 2, 1931. ENGSTRQM I 1,807,974

TOY CANNON v Filed Feb. 23. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR hwy-WM June 2, 1931. B. ENGSTROM TOY CANNON Filed Feb. 23, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 2, 1931 Unrran sraras PATENT QFFEQE ZBIRGER ENGSTROIVI, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, AssreNonTo FORSTER MANU- FAGTURING COMPANY, or PIT'ISIBUBGH, rENNsrLvaNIA, A CORPORATION or PENNSYLVANIA TOY CANNON Application filed February 23, 1929. Serial No. 342,040.

This invention relates to toy cannons and more particularly to toy cannons of the type used in firing gaseous explosive charges such, for example, as carbide cannons.

An object of this'invention is to provide a cannon of the type set forth having an improved construction and mode of operation.

A further object is to provide a cannon of the type set'forth of such construction and arrangement as to permit of repeated'and continued firing thereof.

A still further object is to provide a toy repeating cannon of simple, rugged'construction which willbe easy to operate and cheap to manufacture and assemble. 7

These and other objects which will I be apparent to those skilled in this particular art are attained by means of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cannon constructed in accordance with one embodiment of this invention. Fig. 2 is a rear view in elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 5, certain parts being broken away. Fig. 4 is a perspective view ofv the rear end of the cannon and its surrounding sleeve and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view through the cannon. V

The particular embodiment of this invention which has been chosen forthe purposes of illustration includes a cannon provided with a plurality of firing chambers constructed and arranged in such a manner as to cause the explosion occurring in one of the firing chambers to aid the performance of other necessary operations in the other chambers.

As illustrated, the cannon is mounted upon a base 10 provided with a suitable water receptacle 11. A barrel supporting sleeve 12 has hangers 13 by which it is mounted upon the foundationand a number of perforations M for the admission of scavenging or cleaning air to the firing chamber are suitably formed therein. The sleeve is also provided with a touch hole 15, and a charging opening 16 is located in the bottom thereof directly over the water trough 1 1 with which it is connected by a shut pipe or conduit 17 or the like. At the rear end of the sleeve a hole 18 is formed, see Figs. 3 and 5, for the deliv cry of carbide or other material which coacts withthe water or other liquid to generate a gas which will explode in the presence of oxygen, or when mixed with air.

Firing chambers 19, which are three in number, are formed within a breech cylinder 20 by suitable partitions 21 and the breech end of the firing chambers is closed by a par tition 22, broken away in Fig. 3, but fully illustrated in Figs. L and 5. An opening 23 is formed in the wall of the breechcylinder at each firing chamber and these openings cooperate successively with the firing opening 15, the air scavenging opening 14, and the charging opening 16 in the operation of the cannon.

A barrel 24 is The partition 22 in the breech cylinder, be-' ing spaced inwardly from the rear end thereof, forms a chamber or magazine 28 adapted to receive a supply of carbide or other divided by partitions 25 into three chambers which constitute exten similar material. A breech closure or magazine cover 29 seats over the rear end: of the breech sleeve 12 and forms the outer wall of the magazine 28. The wall of the breech cylinder 23 forming the magazine is'providfed with three openings 30, one associatedand located in alignment with each of the three firing chambers. The breech c vlinder and barrel 25 is rotated by a hand wheel 31 connected to a gear 32 securedto a suitable gear shaft 33 rigidly secured to theibreech block in any suitable manner as by mounting it in the magazine wall 22. The hand wheel 31 is supported on the magazine cover 29.

The magazine cover 29 is provided with a charging opening for carbide through which the carbide can be delivered. to the magazine and this opening may normally be covered by a slidably mounted closure 34. A guard plate 35, see Figs. 3 .and 5, is located in the magazine over the charging opening 18 leading to the water container, and the extension of the breech block 23 forming the magazine wall having the perforations 30 rotates between the opening'lS and the guard flange 35.

In operation, assuming the magazine 28 to contain a quantity of carbide, the hand wheel 31 is rotated causing the breech block 23 and barrel 25 to rotate. The carbide will naturally collect within each of the openings 30 as it moves downwardly toward the charging opening 18. As the opening 30 passes a charging opening 18, this quantity of carbide is delivered therethrough to the water container 11 and the guard flange 35 prevents a surplus quantity of carbide passing into the container. The acetylene generated passes upwardly through the conduit 17 and through the associated breech block opening 23into the associated firing chamber 19. Continued rotation of the breech moves the firing chamber which has received a charge of acetylene around to a position where the associated opening 23 is opposite the touch hole 15. It will be apparent that an explosion will result from the operation of a suitable sparking de vice 36 such as that indicated in Fig. 3 o, posite the touch hole 15. At the same time another charge of carbide has been deposited in the water container and additional acetylene has been delivered to the next succeedin g firing chamber 19. After firing the first chamber 19, further rotation of the breech moves the chamber in which the explosion has taken place around to a position where its associated breech opening 23 is opposite the air inlet 14 and the next succeeding firing chamber with its explosive charge has moved around to a point where its associated opening 23 is opposite the touch hole 15, while the intermediate firing chamber is at the bottom of the breech in direct communication with the conduit 17. When the explosive charge in the proper firing chamber is ignited, theexplosion passes out through the associated portion of the barrel 25 and through the chamber 27 in the sleeve 26 which is common to each of the firing chambers and in communication with each. The passage of the char e or explosion through this common chamber 27 results in a suction upon the other two firing chambers so that scavenging air is crawn through the air inlet 14 into. the connected firing chamber and fresh oxygen is thus supplied thereto, while at the same time the suction-upon the firing chamber 19 at the bottom of the breech causes the acetylene in the conduit 17 to be sucked. upwardly into such chamber. It will be apparent that this operation can be continued indefinitely and that the firing of the cannonca-n take place at extremely rapid intervals. It will also be rel causes an entraining flow of air through the other two barrels as above described.

Although I have described in detail one specific embodiment of this invention, it will be apparent that various changes, additions,

omissions and substitutions can be made therein without departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a carbide cannon, a plurality of firing chambers, a gas generating chamber and means for successively connecting each of said firing chambers with said gas generating chamber.

2. In a carbide cannon, a plurality of firing chambers, and means for successively delivering a charge to each of said chambers.

3. In a carbide cannon, a plurality of firing chambers, a chamber common to the muzzle end of each of said firing chambers, and through which each firin chamber discharges and means for opening one firing chamber to the atmosphere at the time of the explosion in another firing chamber.

I. In a carbide cannon, a plurality of firing chambers, a chamber common to the muzzle end of each of said firing chambers and through which each firing chamber discharges, a charge generating chamber and means for establishing communication between one firing chamber and said charge generating chamber at the time of explosion in another firing chamber.

5. In a carbide cannon, a plurality of symmetrically arranged firing chambers, means for successively delivering explosive charges to each of said chambers, means for subsequently'permitting the firing of said charge and means for scavenging each chamber after firing thereof.

6. In a carbide cannon, three symmetrically arranged firing chambers, a chamber common to the muzzle end of. each of said chambers and through which each firing chamber .dischar 'es, a port associated with each of said chambers, a stationary sleeve normally closing said ports, a gas generating chamber and ports located in said sleeve for cooperation with said chamber ports for simultaneously permitting communication between said gas generating chamber and one of said firing chambers and between each of said other chambers and the atmosphere and means for successively providing communication between said gas chamber and each of said firing chambers.

7. I11 a carbide cannon, a plurality of firing chambers, a chamber common to the muzzle end of each of said firing chambers and through which each firing chamber discharges, a charge generating chamber, means for establishing communication between one firing chamber and said charge generating chamber at the time of explosion in another chamber and means for opening a third firing chamber to the atmosphere at the time of said explosion.

8. In a carbide cannon, a plurality of firing chambers, a breech cylinder in which said chambers are formed and means whereby the explosion in one chamber results in scavenging a second chamber and charging a third chamber.

9. In a toy cannon, a firing chamber, a subjacent water container, a magazine located above said water container and means for delivering a gas forming material to said water container from said magazine and means for conveying the gas generated from said container to said firing chamber.

10. In a toy cannon, a firing chamber, a water container, a magazine located above said container, a sliding surface between said container and magazine provided with an opening for establishing communication therebetween and means for moving said surface so as to deliver a charge of material to the container from said magazine.

' 11. In a toy cannon, a firing chamber formed in a rotatable breech cylinder having an opening therein, a sleeve surrounding said cylinder so as to normally close said opening, a gas generating chamber having a conduit extending through said sleeve, means for rotating said cylinder so as to move the opening therein into and out of communication with said conduit and means operated by rotation of said cylinder for delivering charges of gas forming material to said gas generating chamber.

12. In a toy cannon, a firing chamber formed in a rotatable breech cylinder having an opening therein, a sleeve surrounding said cylinder so as to normally close said opening, a gas generating chamber, a conduit associated therewith and communicating with the interior of said sleeve, means for rotating said cylinder so as to move the opening therein into and out off-communication with said conduit, a magazine in said cylinder for gas forming material, a partition separating said magazine from said firing chamber, charge delivering openings associated with said magazine and formed in the wall of said cylinder and means for rotating said cylinder so as to move the opening of said firing cham- BIRGER ENGSTROM. 

